LA CLIPPERS: LAST SEASON: 48-34, lost 4-2 to Golden State in Western Conference first round.
COACH: Doc Rivers (seventh season with Clippers, 307-185; 21st season overall, 894-658).
PROJECTED STARTING FIVE: F Kawhi Leonard (30.5 ppg with Toronto), F Paul George (23.7 with Oklahoma City), G Patrick Beverley (7.6), G Landry Shamet (9.1), C Ivica Zubac (8.9).
KEY LOSSES: G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, F Danilo Gallinari, F Wilson Chandler, G-F Garrett Temple, G Sindarius Thornwell, G Tyrone Wallace.
KEY ADDITIONS: Leonard, George.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: It's all about newcomers Leonard and George. They'll be the top two options on offense. Leonard is coming off a season in which he led Toronto to its first NBA championship (and earned his second ring). Leonard returning home was contingent upon pairing with George, also an LA-area native. George, who finished third in MVP voting last season, can guard nearly any position while being a huge scoring threat. Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell, the NBA's top bench-scoring duo last season, will get starter-level minutes again.
OUTLOOK: No more watching other teams go deep in the playoffs. The NBA's balance of power has shifted to the Clippers, who have never advanced beyond the second round let alone won a championship. All that's expected to change behind Leonard and George, both regarded as two of the best two-way players in the league. The Clippers had to give up talented veteran Gallinari and star-in-the-making Gilgeous-Alexander, but they kept Harrell, Williams and re-signed Beverley, whose sole job will be using his tenacious D to keep others from scoring. The Clippers are favorites to win it all, a stunning shift for a franchise that has spent much of its existence as a punch line.

PHOENIX: LAST SEASON: 19-63, finished 15th in Western Conference.
COACH: Monty Williams (first season with Suns, sixth season overall, 173-221).
PROJECTED STARTING FIVE: G Ricky Rubio (12.7 ppg), G Devin Booker (26.6), F Kelly Oubre Jr. (15.2), F Dario Saric (10.6), C Deandre Ayton (16.3)
KEY LOSSES: F T.J. Warren, G/F Josh Jackson
KEY ADDITIONS: Rubio, Saric, G/F Cameron Johnson, F Frank Kaminsky III, F Cheick Diallo, G Ty Jerome
PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Suns are trying to build a winning team around the core of Ayton and Booker, who are both still young and put up big numbers last season. The 7-foot-1 Ayton averaged a double-double in his rookie season while shooting nearly 59 percent from the field. Booker averaged 26.6 points per game and nearly seven assists. Oubre was a pleasant surprise after joining the team midway through last season, scoring nearly 17 points per game after the trade and playing good defense. Rubio gives the Suns an experienced point guard who should help Ayton, Booker and Oubre get better scoring chances. Rubio's presence also allows Booker to play off the ball and focus on scoring.
OUTLOOK: The Suns should be much better than the 19-win version of a year ago. Rubio's presence along with the input first-year coach Monty Williams should give the starting lineup some discipline and structure. Phoenix's ceiling depends on the development of Ayton and Booker. If the two can develop into All-Star caliber players than there might be something brewing in the desert. The major problem is the Western Conference is still stacked with good teams, so a move into the playoffs feels a little far-fetched this season.

PREVIEW

Clippers seek consistency vs. Suns

Clippers seek consistency vs. Suns

There's reason for optimism for the Los Angeles Clippers, who are in third place in the Western Conference and ended a three-game losing streak with Monday's 127-94 rout of the visiting Memphis Grizzlies.

Star forward Paul George and high-energy guard Patrick Beverley returned from injuries, and newly added Marcus Morris Sr. seems to fit right into the Clippers' rotation.

That's in addition to Kawhi Leonard and Montrezl Harrell, who'll lead Los Angeles against the host Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.

The Clippers have played only five games this season with a full roster available, and one of those was on Monday.

Coach Doc Rivers was asked if his team can "flip the switch" in going from losing streak to championship level play.

"I don't think we are a flip-the-switch team," Rivers told ESPN. "I would say anyone who says that doesn't know what they're talking about. Because flip-the-switch teams are teams that have been healthy all year and just have chosen not to play."

The additions of Morris and guard Reggie Jackson give the Clippers seven players who average double-figure scoring, led by Leonard at 27.2. Los Angeles is 18-7 when both Leonard and George are in the lineup.

"This is what we talked about, this is what we dreamed of when this all came together," George told the Orange County Register. "This is the squad and the team that we thought we would be. Just with us being a new team, we've got to have consistency with games like this, where we come out and we look to dominate and be the aggressors and we look to put teams away early and put our imprint on the game."

The Clippers and their stacked roster will get that opportunity against the Suns, who are 10 games under .500. But Phoenix has won three of four, including a 131-111 victory at the Utah Jazz on Monday night.

Point guard Ricky Rubio had 22 points, 11 assists and seven steals against his former team. Devin Booker, who earlier Monday attended the memorial service in Los Angeles for the late Kobe Bryant, flew to Salt Lake City for the game and added 24 points and 10 assists.

Rubio is new to the Suns this season after coming over from the Jazz.

"That's a tough game coming back here to your former team with so many emotions going through his mind. He dominated the game," Phoenix coach Monty Williams told the Arizona Republic.

The Suns are trying to get back into contention for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The game against the Clippers is the first of six straight at home.

"I think once we got the lead we kept building on it. We haven't done that a lot this year," Booker said after the Utah win. "When we get up 10 or 15 points, that is usually a turning point in the wrong way for us but we just kept going, kept battling and kept responding to any push that they made."